The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 99 An Awkward Dinner

Autumn had earlier planned to go to the temple to burn incense today, but now with the new chain of events leaving Cindy with her, she made a temporary adjustment and decided to go to an amusement park, where she supposed all children liked.

When she told Cindy the plan for the day and watched her eyes light up with sheer happiness and excitement, she knew she had made the right decision.

"Autumn, I want that..." Cindy demanded pointing towards ice cream. Autumn didn't have the heart to say no to such a lovely girl, but after considering Cindy's health she firmly refused despite her moment of hesitation.

"Cindy, I know you want ice cream but, you just got out of the hospital and if you fall sick after eating it, you will have to return to the hospital. Besides, if you're sick, your parents will blame me again, won't they?" she said.

"But..." While cutely tilting her head, Cindy reevaluated her options. Eventually the fear of an injection conquered the temptation of ice cream. She nodded her head helplessly and said, "Okay, I won't eat it." "Now that's a good girl. I'll reward you with some delicious cotton candy, okay?" Once they entered, Autumn saw a vendor selling cotton candy right at the gate. The soft cotton candy looked just like clouds in the sky.

In that moment, she recalled a unique memory from her childhood. Whenever she was upset and cried, her beloved grandmother would buy her some cotton candy in a bid to cheer her up.

As a child, she loved watching cotton candy being made from scratch. Once the cotton candy machine was stepped on, the white cotton candy would get bigger and bigger, almost like silk from silkworms and butterfly pupae. It was a fluffy cloud of happiness as each bite would have pulled strands of filaments which would slowly melt in the mouth. It was a sweet delight.

Cindy took a glance at the cotton candy, and nodded happily.

This was her first visit to China and her first encounter with cotton candy here. She liked to eat cotton candy in Chinatown back where she lived abroad.

"Does it taste good?" Cindy took and gobbled down a huge chunk of the cotton candy, leaving her lips coated with sugar. Autumn looked at her and laughed.

They spent the entire day at the amusement park. They visited all the stories and covered almost all rides available. From the merry-go-round to the pirate ship, from the maze to the ferris wheel, Autumn accompanied Cindy to all the games and facilities which was safe for Cindy to enjoy.

There was also a clothes shop in the amusement park. Autumn found several beautiful princess dresses there. She couldn't help buying a couple of them as she wanted to give Cindy all things good. She didn't know why she was so good to Cindy and fond of her, maybe one reason was that... Cindy was so incredibly cute.

"Did you have fun?" Autumn asked while straightening and fixing Cindy's dress on their way back.

"Yes!" Cindy nodded her head rather formally, and whispered in Autumn's ear, "Autumn, I have to tell you a secret..."

"Okay." Autumn replied with a wide smile. Children are so sweet and innocent. When you treat them well with all your heart, they give you the same love in return. "I think you're better than my mom, Autumn." Cindy whispered, putting her index finger to her mouth signalling for hush. "This is a secret between us."

"Okay it is our secret, pinky promise." Autumn held Cindy. Over a short span of a day, she found that her affection for Cindy was increasing more and more, and even... began fearing the moment she would have to part ways with her.

As the car pulled up outside the hotel, Abby was already there waiting with a welcoming smile at the entrance as she had gotten word of their return. Sure enough, mothers and their children are linked by hearts. After just one day of separation, Cindy jumped excitedly into Abby's arms and called out, "Mom..."

"How's the amusement park? Did you have a good time?" Abby picked up Cindy in her arms. When she glanced at Autumn briefly and saw all the newly bought children's toys and clothes, she frowned, "Autumn, I'm already embarrassed to ask you to accompany Cindy. You have bought so many things for her, I..."

"This is nothing, really." Autumn smiled at Cindy, "I am congenial to Cindy. I don't know when you will return to China next time and I might not ever get a chance to be nice and pamper her in the future." "Not necessarily." Abby smiled. Then the driver took all the bags of goodies which Autumn was carrying. "In fact, my husband and I came back this time to investigate the market in Z City. This is my parents' hometown. Now they are quite old and want to come back from abroad. And Cindy loves it here. Well then maybe... we'll see each other often," she explained.

"That is just great, "Autumn said rapturously.

"You must be tired. Please feel free to go back to your room and take some rest, Autumn. Let's eat together later." Abby invited Autumn.

Autumn was looking forward to dining with Cindy and so she gladly accepted Abby's invitation.

At seven in the evening, Cindy knocked on Autumn's door, and said, "Autumn, it's time. Let's go for dinner now."

After Autumn heard her childish voice, the corners of her lips involuntarily transformed into a smile. She opened the door and found Cindy changed into one of the dress that she bought in the afternoon. Cindy was looking quite adorable.

"Let's go, "Abby said thinly, she was standing beside Cindy.

Abby took Autumn to an old restaurant in Z City. Although the interiors of the restaurant looked a little old-fashioned, the food here was delicious. And this restaurant was also mentioned in the travel guide Charles prepared for Autumn. It had been a long time since they arrived at the restaurant, but Andy hadn't come yet. Autumn asked rather curiously, "Abby, where's Mr. Xu?"

"He has a work dinner plan tonight, so he will not be able to join us." Abby smiled at Autumn, and added, "Order whatever you like, Autumn."

"It is only the three of us for dinner. Why don't we eat at a restaurant near the hotel?" Autumn asked with a puzzled look.

"No, not only did you get Cindy back for us, but you took care of her all day long and bought her so many toys and beautiful dresses. For all of that and so much more, I have to treat you to a big meal in an attempt to thank you, "Abby smiled and added, "And besides this big meal, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? What is it?" Autumn asked, with a cloud of confusion in her mind.

"You'll know in a minute, "Abby said in a rather mysterious tone.

Autumn ordered two dishes and retired to the bathroom. Soon after, a figure appeared at the door. Abby turned to look at the person and said, "You're finally here! We've been waiting for you for a long time now."

"Mrs. Xu, how are you doing this fine evening?" The person was Sam. Abby had earlier mistaken him for Autumn's boyfriend. Sensing that something seemed to be wrong between Autumn and Sam, she arranged the dinner so they could work their conflict out.

"I'm fine. Have a seat please." Abby urged him with a smile, and then asked about him and Autumn, "Mr. Lin, how long have you known Autumn?"